The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) is celebrating World Sight Day, which falls today, under the theme "Love Your Eyes". It aims to take care of eye health and early diagnosis of diseases that may cause blindness. As part of the celebration, MoPH, in co-operation with its partners, has launched an extensive awareness campaign to focus attention on vision and eye health.
Dr Kholoud al-Motawaa, head of the Non-Communicable Diseases Department at MoPH, said the campaign is mainly aimed at ensuring that everyone in Qatar has access to all available health services for eye care, pointing out that the campaign includes the distribution of awareness messages and medical advice related to eye health. Al-Motawaa added that according to estimates by the World Health Organisation there are about 253mn people worldwide with a visual problem of which 36mn are blind, while it is estimated that 80% of all vision loss is preventable or treatable.
Dr Badria al-Malki, national co-ordinator for Blindness Prevention and Assistant Director of Continuing Care and Integrated Services at PHCC, said the PHCC has recently strengthened programmes and protocols for the early detection of diabetic retinopathy, optic nerve diseases, and glaucoma in health centres. Dr Badria al-Malki pointed out that most of the diseases that cause visual impairment and blindness are known and can be easily prevented or treated, noting that eye healthcare has been included in national health plans and primary care programmes as an important part of healthcare services through all primary health care centres.
Dr Dina Safwan Zeidan, consultant ophthalmologist at HMC and a member of the National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness, said: "HMC provides all medical treatment and surgical procedures to eye patients through the ophthalmology departments located in Ambulatory Care Centre, Al Wakra Hospital, Al Khor Hospital and Cuban Hospital, in emergency departments, outpatient clinics, retina clinics and in the eye surgery section."
Dr Shadi al-Ashwal, specialist ophthalmology at MoPH, said the celebration of World Sight Day coincides with the completion of the first phase of the national visual impairment and blindness survey in Qatar implemented by MoPH in collaboration with the PHCC and the World Health Organisation, and aims to provide important data on the prevalence of blindness and its causes.
Dr Badria al-Malki, national co-ordinator for Blindness Prevention and Assistant Director of Continuing Care and Integrated Services at PHCC, said the PHCC has recently strengthened programmes and protocols for the early detection of diabetic retinopathy, optic nerve diseases, and glaucoma in health centres. Dr Badria al-Malki pointed out that most of the diseases that cause visual impairment and blindness are known and can be easily prevented or treated, noting that eye healthcare has been included in national health plans and primary care programmes as an important part of healthcare services through all primary health care centres.
Dr Dina Safwan Zeidan, consultant ophthalmologist at HMC and a member of the National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness, said: "HMC provides all medical treatment and surgical procedures to eye patients through the ophthalmology departments located in Ambulatory Care Centre, Al Wakra Hospital, Al Khor Hospital and Cuban Hospital, in emergency departments, outpatient clinics, retina clinics and in the eye surgery section."
Dr Shadi al-Ashwal, specialist ophthalmology at MoPH, said the celebration of World Sight Day coincides with the completion of the first phase of the national visual impairment and blindness survey in Qatar implemented by MoPH in collaboration with the PHCC and the World Health Organisation, and aims to provide important data on the prevalence of blindness and its causes.